WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: White House Hosts Convening on Preserving Pathways to Opportunity for All Americans

Yesterday, senior officials from the Biden-Harris Administration, including Steve Benjamin, Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Public Engagement, and Neera Tanden, White House Domestic Policy Advisor, welcomed over 70 business executives and civil rights leaders to the White House for a discussion on Preserving Pathways to Opportunity for All Americans. At the event, business leaders—representing industries including manufacturing, finance, energy, retail, tech, and more—joined civil rights leaders and Congressional staff to share best practices and actions that will create pathways to opportunity, develop and retain talent, and secure diverse supply chains in order to grow successful enterprises that create American jobs. The Administration officials and executives agreed that leveraging America’s resilient and dedicated workers, and the diversity that is our country’s strength, will continue to benefit the U.S. economy. They also discussed that while talent is everywhere, opportunity is not – and recommitted to strengthening and expanding opportunity to maintain U.S. leadership in the global economy. 

See below for what they are saying:

Congressman Steven Horsford, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus: 

“The CBC commends the Biden-Harris Administration for their unwavering commitment to creating pathways to opportunities for our communities, particularly at a time when diversity initiatives in corporate America and access to business capital for Black and minority-owned businesses are under attack. That said, there is still much work to be done and the corporate community plays an important role in this effort. In December 2023, the CBC issued a corporate accountability letter urging Fortune 500 corporations to strengthen their internal DEI practices and commitments to racial equity by partnering with the CBC and the Biden-Harris Administration on efforts to expand opportunity and create generational Black wealth in America. Today’s convening was an important step in affirming this partnership, and allowed the CBC the opportunity to provide an update on our corporate accountability report which will be released in the coming weeks.”

Ying McGuire, President of National Minority Supplier Development Council

“I want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration for convening this historic cadre of diverse leaders. From civil society groups leading on business diversity to our nation’s top civil rights voices and corporate partners, this convening illustrated our shared commitment to creating pathways of opportunity that reflect the essence of the American dream. We believe that corporate America’s success and our nation’s global competitiveness depend on having all hands-on deck and fully engaging the talents of all individuals—minorities, women, LGBTQ+ people, veterans, those with disabilities, and other underserved groups—to unlock our complete economic potential.”

Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of National Urban League

“Diverse and inclusive workplaces are more innovative, productive, resilient, and profitable. Initiatives like today’s Preserving Pathways to Opportunity for All Americans at the White House are forging a path to prosperity and economic stability for the nation as a whole. I’m proud the National Urban League has a role to play and grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for convening such a forward-thinking and committed group of leaders.”

Samantha Tweedy, CEO, and Alaina Beverly, Executive Vice President, of the Black Economic Alliance Foundation

“Today’s meeting of senior business leaders and Administration officials marked an incredibly important show of commitment to expanding economic opportunity for all Americans—to the benefit of business and the entire U.S. economy. These discussions are critical as we work to protect existing and forge new pathways to Black economic opportunity, building on the historic investments of this Administration, so that the American economy is stronger for everyone.”

Rhett Buttle, President, and Tammy Halevy, Executive Director of the Public Private Strategies Institute

“Business leaders and voices from all sectors of the economy came together today around the same message: our economy thrives when all Americans have a pathway to opportunity. Right now, we are seeing a business formation boom that is fueling opportunity and good job creation in communities across the country thanks to intentional and inclusive policies including historic investments such as the Investing in America Agenda.”

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